Belgrade, 25 March 2010 - The ministers of foreign affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia met in Belgrade on the occasion of the International Conference: Durable Solutions for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: Cooperation Among Countries of the Region to discuss the obstacles remaining on the road to durable solutions for the persons living in a protracted refugee situation in the region as a result of the conflict of the early 1990s.
The international conference was initiated by the Government of the Republic of Serbia. This is consistent with the UNHCR's initiative to reinvigorate the dialogue between all stakeholders in the region to end protracted refugee situations through implementation of durable solutions.
The international stakeholders attached critical importance to renewed efforts by the governments of the four countries, as a continuation of the commitments made during the Sarajevo Process. It is hoped that the international community together with the governments concerned will provide the support required to find durable solutions for all the displaced in the region between 1990 and 1995.
For the Conference UNHCR, EU and the OSCE issued a Joint Discussion Paper that highlights several of the key relevant issues. The paper calls on the four governments to engage in joint actions to achieve durable solutions. These include: to intensify technical cooperation to establish clear statistics relevant to refugee return and local integration, in order to clarify the measures that need to be taken; to establish the parameters and criteria for a comprehensive needs assessment in all countries; to define mechanisms for future cooperation through bilateral and regional working groups to address the outstanding issues to achieve durable solutions, including issues related to housing, in particular OTRs; to design an Action Plan addressing the specific issues to be resolved, with clearly defined timelines, budgetary commitments, and methodologies; to carry out a joint information campaign to inform remaining refugees on conditions for durable solutions and call upon them to decide now whether to return or to opt for local integration.
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